Philanthropy Files: June 2021

As summer starts and there are more in-person opportunities available, I have been thinking about how this will impact the work that we do at The WCA. Last year was challenging for many. I remember last summer well, as it was my first as a full-time resident of Idaho, but unfortunately, the needed restrictions meant that a lot of summer activities were not possible.  While I personally missed the in-person Capitol City Farmers Market and other events, the greatest impact I saw for the WCA was our ability to do much-needed vital outreach in our community. 

Our Outreach Team works exceptionally hard to make sure our materials are visible in many different settings, but also that we have a physical presence in our community through attending and tabling at multiple community gatherings and events each year. Making sure that anyone who needs our services knows about us and knows how to get help. We still stay connected through our weekly Live at Lunch on Facebook and our virtual presentations. We’re pleased to still be able to present our SueB 5K 10K  in honor of Susan “SueB” Newby. Sue was a Boise resident who died in suspicious circumstances while out on a horseback ride with her husband, who subsequently killed himself prior to any prosecution being brought. Even though we had to reimagine this race as a virtual 5k 10K, the race was a wonderful success, and importantly provided a much-needed outreach opportunity. That’s why, despite the challenges, we remained dedicated to the race going ahead! We were thrilled with participation levels. Especially because we had participants across many different states outside of Idaho- all providing important information about Healthy Relationships. Many people saw the SueB runners in their distinctive purple shirts running all across the Treasure Valley. The run acted as a visual reminder that domestic abuse victims do not have to suffer in silence- we are here for you. This year we decided to continue with the virtual race, allowing again for multiple outreach opportunities and the best opportunity for people all over our community, and indeed the world, to come together to support healthy relationships. In Honor of National Running Week, we are offering reduced run sign-up fees for our 2021 SueB 5K 10K for just $20 until June 9th. You can sign up here. We hope you will join us in support of Healthy Relationships and In memory of SueB.

Encouraging healthy relationships has always been a priority for me, and I think that’s why I too will be taking part in SueB again this year. While I am personally passionate about every aspect of work that we do at the WCA, our Prevention Program, which works with young people to encourage healthy relationships, has always piqued my interest. When I first joined the WCA in January of 2020, I was not aware of the breadth and depth of our prevention services, which are vital to the work we do to end the cycle of domestic violence in our community. My knowledge of what a healthy relationship consists of comes from my conversations with parents and peers. In today’s world, the conversations we have with friends and family can be so crucial. That is one of the reasons why I believe in the power of our Prevention Program, especially our Youth REPs Program. The Youth REPs are a diverse group of high school-aged young people who work together to raise awareness of teen dating violence and healthy relationships. They also work hard to develop campaigns and awareness events that help their peers and others understand the challenges facing youth today. They are having really important conversations and I hope as adults we all spend time listening to the young people in our lives to learn from them about the support they need to have healthy relationships in their lives. As the Philanthropy Manager, I see my role in supporting this excellent program and the many other prevention initiatives we have, as a simple one. It’s my job to help our supporters, people like you, know about this excellent project and understand how you can help. Whether that be through attending awareness events, outreach opportunities or making a financial donation. If this has piqued your interest and you would like to learn more about the prevention work we do, please do not hesitate to reach out to me: [email protected].

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